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Chapter 521: Chapter 521: Kunshan Cultivators

Raindrops fell slantwise, splashing into a misty flower at their feet; between the sky and the earth remained only a gray haze, making the already dark sky appear even more somber.

With each step Li Mo took, he could feel the sticky sensation from the bottom of his boots. Even the official road would become incredibly muddy on a rainy day, with ruts forming traps on either side, turning the road’s center into a swamp.

"Master, there seems to be a village ahead." Li Ziyan tugged at his sleeve.

Li Mo stopped in his tracks and looked in the direction his apprentice pointed.

She seemed to be right, for there indeed was a faint glimpse of lights in the rain, the outlines of houses forming a gray line, almost blending into the earth.

He estimated that given today’s pace, they should be quite close to Yongtang City. But the problem was it was about to get dark now, and the rain showed no sign of easing. Traveling through the night in such downpour was certainly not a wise choice.

Without much hesitation, Li Mo made his decision, "Let’s stay overnight in the village."

"Great!" the apprentice exclaimed joyfully.

It was clear she was also deeply averse to hurrying through the rain.

The village lay beneath the road embankment, less than half a mile from the official road. Such villages typically survived on trading local specialties and required frequent use of the official road, making their culture more open and renting a place for a night not a big problem.

Of course... even if it were a black village in the remote and wild, Li Mo wouldn’t be too afraid.

After all, he had his spells and sword at his side.

By the time the two truly set foot in the village, the sky above had turned pitch-black. It had only been less than a quarter of an hour, as if the light had been stolen by the dark clouds.

It seemed stopping the journey was a wise decision.

After knocking on seven or eight doors in succession, finally, one opened.

Li Mo immediately extended his toe, using his boot to block the door gap. It wasn’t that he intended to force his way in, but to prevent the other party from refusing outright before he finished speaking.

"Forgive me, Sir, I am Li Mo, a man from Jianghu, caught in the night rain while traveling, hoping to rest at your place for a night. Of course... not for free, how about it?"

The old farmer behind the door sized him up and down, muttering, "How much will you pay?"

Li Mo breathed a small sigh of relief; it was good to discuss money.

"Fifty coins, how about it? That’s the price for an inn in Pei State!"

Honestly speaking, fifty coins were a bit expensive. In an inn, one could rent an upper room and also take a hot bath. But he didn’t mind giving the other party a taste of sweetness, as in the end, he could pretty much get these coins back.

The man’s tight lips curled upwards, he stepped aside and fully opened the door, "Come in."

"Who is it?" asked a woman from inside the house.

"A guest wanting to stay!" the old farmer turned back and shouted, "He said he’ll pay fifty coins!"

"A rare guest indeed!" A middle-aged village woman came out, rubbing her hands, "The children’s father is Wang Ji, and I’m Meng Gu. How should we address the guest?"

"I am Li Mo, this is my apprentice," Li Mo repeated his name, while removing his wet hood and unclasping the tie of his raincoat, "Thank you for taking us in, we only need a shed with a roof, size doesn’t matter."

"How could we let you stay in a shed? Don’t worry... we just happen to have an empty room at home. It was meant for my eldest and second sons—"

"Ahem." The old farmer surnamed Wang coughed twice, interrupting the woman, "The children have gone to the city, so the room is empty."

"Right, right, they all went to Yongtang City," the woman showed an unnatural smile, "Just now I happened to stew a pot of meat, shall I add some bowls and chopsticks for you as well?"

Li Mo felt a joy in his heart, "That would be wonderful, we’ve been traveling all day, and we’re quite hungry!"

He naturally sensed the hidden implications in their words, but what did it matter? After all, he would leave as soon as daylight came. Whatever story this family had, he didn’t care to investigate.

Soon enough, the two were led to the dining table.

"Growl." Li Ziyan’s stomach made an embarrassing sound.

For on the table lay a large basin of meat, not a thin meat gruel, nor dried meat, but actual fresh meat. The well-stewed meat chunks with big bones were emitting an incredibly enticing aroma. If it weren’t for the rain outside, he might have smelled it through the door.

Eating this well?

Li Mo couldn’t help but be a little surprised, judging by the furnishings and utensils in the house, it clearly didn’t look like a wealthy household. The man was around fifty, the woman in her forties, both with dark skin and hands full of labor marks. Without any children around, for such a family to eat meat porridge regularly was already something; to stew half a leg of meat at once would be unattainable.

Could it be through robbery?

He’d heard about quite a few bandits emerging in Tugou Mountain when he crossed it.

But... who cares!

He wasn’t serving the government; as long as the meat wasn’t poisoned, they might as well eat to their heart’s content. After all, in this world, for people to survive, who wouldn’t need to turn a blind eye now and then? Villagers in rural places were like this, as were cultivators.

With a bowl of steaming meat soup in his stomach, Li Mo only felt his whole body relax, the fatigue from the journey seemingly swept away.

Li Ziyan was devouring the bones with great delight, like he hadn’t eaten a full meal in years.

This was certainly not due to a lack of money on the master’s part; rather, they had been on the move for the past two months, and having a cooked meal wasn’t easily achieved.

Through some conversation, Li Mo gained a basic understanding of the situation here.

The village was called Baihe Village, and the entire village made a living from charcoal burning. The nearby consumer of charcoal was Yongtang City. The village was about a hundred miles from Yongtang, with a convoy coming here to collect charcoal every half month. This suggested he hadn’t lost his way. Following the river eastward, he could reach the destination within two or three days at most.

"Is the warrior heading to Yongtang as well?" Wang Ji asked with enthusiasm, "No wonder you’d pass by Baihe Village. Although we’re not far from Pei State’s capital, there’s a small town nearby where most people choose to rest."

"I see, no wonder there’s no inn in the village," Li Mo smiled, "But it’s fine, resting early today means hitting the road earlier tomorrow."

"Does the warrior head to Yongtang to become an escort?"

"Why, is there a shortage of escorts in the city?" Li Mo asked casually.

"Yes, I hear that Pei State and Ling State are not peaceful, with many—" Old Wang said halfway before his wife nudged him with an elbow, "Oh, well, being an escort is quite suitable for a man from Jianghu like you."

This couple was indeed interesting, almost as if reminding each other. Li Mo raised an eyebrow, pretending not to notice, "I am not merely a man from Jianghu."

As expected, the other party asked, "Then you are..."

Li Mo cleared his throat, "I am a Kunshan Cultivator."

He deliberately paused to wait for their exclamations. The apprentice showed a resigned expression, slightly covering his face with his sleeve.

However, the couple merely exchanged glances and muttered "Oh, a Cultivator," and that was it.

Now Li Mo was truly taken aback.

Could it be that cultivators were something common here?

True cultivators with real skills were the ones sought after by wealthy families and noble clans!

Of course... his skills weren’t of that high caliber; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been wandering all the way here. Nonetheless, he was a proper Qi Sensing Man at the very least.

Although, in the eyes of true powerholders, they were just a bunch of half-baked Loose Cultivators, a substitute for the Lotus Cloud Sect’s Immortal Masters, but Immortal Masters appeared only once in a hundred years. In the absence of Immortal Masters, who else but them could suppress the rampant Demon Fiends and Devils everywhere?

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